Subscriber login


Forgot your password?

Library card login

Other

neoteny

Syllabification: (ne·ot·e·ny)
Pronunciation: /nēˈätn-ē/
Definition of neoteny

noun

Zoology
  • the retention of juvenile features in the adult animal. Also called pedomorphosis.
  • the sexual maturity of an animal while it is still in a mainly larval state, as in the axolotl. Also called pedogenesis.

Derivatives

neotenic

Pronunciation: /ˌnēōˈtenik, -ˈtēnik/
adjective

neotenous

Pronunciation: /nēˈätn-əs/
adjective

Origin:

late 19th century: coined in German as Neotenie, from Greek neos 'new' (in the sense 'juvenile') + teinein 'extend'

neoteny in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of neoteny in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

  |  Cite

More words in this category

Word of the day

ludology

/ luːˈdɒlədʒi /
noun
the study of games and gaming, especially video games …